Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 July 19

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Today's featured article
The 1949 Ambato earthquake was the largest earthquake in the Western Hemisphere in over a decade. On August 5, 1949, it struck Ecuador's Tungurahua Province southeast of its capital, Ambato, and killed 5,050 people. Measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, it originated from a hypocenter 40 km (25 mi) beneath the surface. The earthquake initially followed an intersection of several northwest–southeast-trending faults in the Inter-Andean Valley, which were created by the subduction of the Carnegie Ridge. Strata of rock cracked as the earthquake ruptured the faults, sending out powerful shockwaves. The nearby villages of Guano, Patate, Pelileo, and Pillaro were destroyed, and the city of Ambato suffered heavy damage. The earthquake flattened entire buildings, and subsequent landslides caused damage throughout the Tungurahua, Chimborazo, and Cotopaxi Provinces. It disrupted water mains and communication lines and opened a fissure into which the small town of Libertad sank. Moderate shaking from the event extended as far away as Quito and Guayaquil. (more...) Recently featured: James Boyd – Hurricane Danny – Mantra-Rock Dance Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that columns at the Roman Macellum of Pozzuoli (pictured) remained upright over centuries while the site sank below sea level, then re-emerged? ... that Adrian van Kaam brought food to Jews and others in hiding during Holland's "hunger winter" of 1944? ... that 1964 CDC 6600 is considered as the first supercomputer in the world? ... that the Congregation of the Sons of the Holy Family was founded by the son of a peasant farmer? ... that World Bicycle Relief has distributed more than 70,000 bicycles, mostly in Africa, and nearly 70 percent of them went to women and girls? ... that the Fokker FG-2 made the world's first passenger flight with a glider in 1922? ... that the breed club of the Treeing Tennessee Brindle was founded in Illinois? ... that Ramsdell Hall in Cheshire, England, has been described by architectural writers as a "curious" and "appealingly quirky" house? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Darren Clarke (pictured) of Northern Ireland wins The Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the last in the Harry Potter film series, debuts with a record-breaking opening weekend. The FIFA Women's World Cup concludes with Japan defeating the United States to become the first Asian team to win the tournament. Dawn, a robotic spacecraft, enters orbit around the asteroid 4 Vesta, four years after being launched. Arab Spring – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
July 19: Seventeenth of Tammuz (Judaism, 2011); Burmese Martyrs' Day; Independence Day in Laos (1949) 64 – The Great Fire of Rome started among the shops around the Circus Maximus, eventually destroying three of fourteen Roman districts and severely damaging seven others. 1545 – The English warship Mary Rose (pictured) foundered and sank just outside Portsmouth during the Battle of the Solent. 1553 – Lady Jane Grey was replaced by Mary I as Queen of England after holding that title for just nine days. 1916 – World War I: Australian forces engaged the Germans at the Battle of Fromelles in France, described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history" since 5,533 Australian soldiers were eventually killed, wounded or taken prisoner in the failed operation. 1981 – In a private meeting with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, French President François Mitterrand revealed the existence of the Farewell Dossier, a collection of documents showing that the Soviets had been stealing American technological research and development. More anniversaries: July 18 – July 19 – July 20 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now July 19, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

USS Annapolis, resting in the Arctic Ocean after surfacing through three feet of ice during Ice Exercise 2009 in March 2009. The two-week training exercise was used to test submarine operability and war-fighting capability in Arctic conditions, and also involved the USS Helena, the University of Washington and personnel from the Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory.

Photo: Petty Officer 1st Class Tiffini M. Jones, U.S. Navy

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